Sweet 16
by ilovepuppies125
Summary: Sequel to A New Home. With Vlad finally out of her way Dani can now enjoy her friends, her family, her crush...SHIELD, Avengers and a world take over? So much for easy high school years. On top of that she's still fighting ghosts and getting ready for her Sweet 16, and now Tony is dealing with a licensed, teenage daughter. But wait...is Vlad really gone?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody, the sort-of-long-awaited sequel is here and Danielle is now 16 (or **_**almost **_**16). Anyway, here it is, I hope you enjoy it **

Chapter 1:

Dani POV-

"Danielle!"

I sighed, apparently my most recent, not so subtle, hint has been found. Now that I'm almost sixteen (in one month and twelve days) I had been sliding pictures of a white Pagani Zonda C12 S 7.3 in Tony's desk and in between Pepper's folders for about three months now, and let's just say, Pepper at least, was beginning to get annoyed. Apparently, she thinks my first car should not be worth half a million dollars, but, when your dad is Tony Stark…

And now my latest picture, which I had stuck to the bathroom mirror, had been found.

I grinned to myself and went down the hall to where Pepper was standing, arms crossed, and tapping her foot in my direction, and Tony was seated on the couch with a kind of amused smile on his face.

"Yes?" I asked was an innocent smile.

"I want you to stop putting these around the house," she ordered holding up the picture of the car that I had hearts drawn around the border of it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I batted my eyelashes at her. Pepper uncrossed her arms and placed them on her hips, glaring at me. I smiled; sliding passed her into the kitchen and grabbing a Poptart and some orange juice.

I heard a high-pitched beep from outside and I picked up my bag off of the couch. Perfect timing.

"That's Issa," I smirked, "I've got to go." I waved goodbye to Tony and Pepper as I closed the front door behind me to get into Issa's black convertible slug bug and go to school.

Tony POV-

"I wish you would stop encouraging her," Pepper scolded me when I burst out laughing after Dani closed the front door behind herself.

"What?" I asked in the same innocent way that Dani had holding up my hands in mock confusion.

"You buy her anything and everything she wants, that's not exactly setting a good example to be appreciative of what she already has," she frowned.

"Pepper, I think you need to ease up a little. Danielle, appreciates what she has just fine, especially considering her upbringing," I arched an eyebrow in her direction reminding he of Danielle's traumatizing "childhood" and abusive "father" leading up to the last big confrontation nearly four years ago after we had first adopted Danielle.

"Yes, I know," she sighed, "And we can't change that, but I think that she still needs to learn that she can't have everything she wants just because _you _go and buy it for her."

Alright, I'll admit it, I do spoil Dani a little…or, maybe a lot…but only because I think she deserves to be treated well, especially after the way Vlad treated her.

"I don't see the big deal. She's really smart; she gets great grades in school. And eventually, you know, she will inherit Stark Industries and she'll be able to buy whatever she wants anyway," I told her.

"Tony…" Pepper sighed again, "What if something happened to you…or me, or both of us? Dani doesn't even get any of the money from the company until she turns eighteen, and after that she would have the _entire _responsibility of Stark Industries. And, assuming she actually _is_ able to handle all that responsibility, a lot could happen in the two years before she is able to get it," Pepper told me.

It was true. A lot could change in two years, hell, a lot could change in two months.

In the two months after we had adopted Danielle I had gone from a (mostly) detached, irresponsible bachelor to the father of a half-ghost preteen clone who was being hunted down by her psychopathic father. So, yeah, on some level I did see Pepper's point.

"But, I don't see how my buying or not buying her a car will change any of that," I argued.

"Ugh!" Pepper threw her hands up in exasperation and stormed off towards the office.

This, I was sure, would not be the last time we would be having this conversation, but I was glad it was over for now, especially considering I had already bought the car for Danielle, not that there had ever been any doubt that I would, even Pepper knew that.

And the reason I had bought it so early was because I was having it customized. The inside now had, of course, state of the art technology (Stark Industry technology, Jarvis included), along with a few things that would be specific to Danielle such as a built-in specter deflector in the car itself, and a place to plug in a thermos to release the ghosts she catches on a regular basis. In addition to that, the inside was being upholstered with black leather, lined with neon green stitching, which I considered very fitting.

But, obviously, Pepper didn't know this, mostly because I had taken extreme precautions to hide the purchase from any of the bills we would be getting from now until April.

What Pepper did know about was the surprise party we were planning that would be held from Friday to Saturday, the days before her actual birthday on Sunday, April 7th. We had invited her usual circle of friends, Issa, Scarlett, Zeke, Jesse, and Alec, but we had also invited Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz who had attended all of her birthdays for the past four years to a more intimate party on Friday. But on Saturday is when Pepper and I had organized her actual "Sweet 16" party, sending out invitations to her sophomore class, renting out an expensive venue and decorating team, and even bringing in a guest singer for after the banquet. And, let's just say…we spared no expense, and it will definitely be a party that Danielle and the rest of her class will never forget.

**Hmm…wonder what the venue is? Well, I guess that one will have to be a surprise to, both Danielle and all of you **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Tony POV-

"Are you packed yet?" Pepper asked, poking her head into my bedroom. I was seated on a chair next to my bed playing with my holographic tablet.

"Almost," I lied without looking up. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Pepper look over to the pile of clothes and the unpacked bag on my bed and sigh.

"Okay, fine Tony. But we're not going to be late to the airport. You better be packed by seven tomorrow morning," she warned, "I'm going to go check on Dani."

"Okay," I nodded, still without looking up, as she turned and went down the hall. But, to be completely honestly, I don't see the big deal. It's _my _plane. What's it going to do, leave without us? And at seven o'clock in the morning? That's _way _too early for me to be up and getting on a plane.

The three of us are flying from Malibu to New York so that in just a few days we can finally get the new Stark Tower lit up and ready to go (which means that I will have to be underwater and welding with the Iron Man suit).

And, while Pepper and I have been traveling back and forth between California and New York getting the building ready for close to a year now, Danielle has only been with us one time, and that was at the very beginning of its construction, so, needless to say, she was happy to be taking a little time away from school.

I was looking forward to the trip too, of course that was mostly because it meant that that I could enjoy relaxing, taking in the sights, spending time with Dani and Pepper, and, once the tower is lit up, some celebration and maybe partying (but probably not a huge party because Dani is with us).

'_I guess I'm not getting any action this weekend,' _I sighed internally. I rolled my eyes with a slight chuckle and shaking my head as I set the tablet down on the small table next to my chair. It was kind of funny, I guess, how much being a parent, even a parent of an almost-sixteen year old, changes your life.

I stood up, closing the shades of the 180 degree window view, and getting ready for bed.

I paused over the pile of clothes and the suitcase on my bed. I briefly considered shoving the clothes into the bag, but I decided against it, laying the clothes and suitcase on the chair. Pepper would undoubtedly just end up re-packing for me tomorrow anyway.

Dani POV-

"Are you packed yet?" Pepper asked, pushing open my bedroom door.

"Almost," I lied, looking up at her from the pages of the book I was reading.

Pepper, who had just taken a seat on my bed, cast a glance over at the miscellaneous assortment of clothes I had piled next to the duffel bag and raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled sheepishly, and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"I swear," she exclaimed, "If I didn't know any better, I would swear that you are Tony's biological daughter."

I grinned, so apparently Tony wasn't packed for tomorrow's trip to New York either.

"I want you to be completely packed by seven o'clock tomorrow morning," Pepper ordered, eyeing me seriously.

"Seven o'clock?" I groaned.

"Yes, our flight leaves at eight thirty and we have to be at the airport a little earlier," she told me.

"But it's so early," I whined. Pepper chuckled.

"Somehow, I think you'll survive. You and Tony," she smiled. I huffed in response and crossed my arms, pouting.

"Hey, you better get some sleep," she told me in the 'concerned-mother' way she usually does.

"Okay," I agreed, "Just let me finish this book."

"Then what will you read on the plane tomorrow?" she asked me. I smirked, gesturing to the pile of unread books on my nightstand.

Pepper nodded a slight, amused, smile on her face.

"Okay. Well, goodnight, sleep tight," she told me, giving me a hug and gently rubbing my back between my shoulder blades. I returned the hug, smiling, as I leaned my head against Pepper's shoulder.

"Okay, you too," I told her as she walked out of my room closing my bedroom door behind her.

I really could not have asked for better parents than Tony and Pepper.

I finished the last twenty pages of my book before I closed the shades to my windows. I might have only an ocean behind me but I didn't want to risk some paparazzi helicopter catching a picture of me with only my underwear on. Afterwards, I slowly pulled on my pajamas, and turned down the lights as I slid between the covers of my bed.

Ghost, my loyal black and white mutt, took his usual place on the other side of my bed, lying on his back with his paws in the air. I snuggled into my warm blankets and tried to close my eyes and go to sleep. I turned over and adjusted myself again. I turned again. Then I moved to where I was lying on my back, staring at the dark ceiling.

There was no way I was going to be able to sleep tonight.

I was too excited. I mean, I know I've been to New York before but I still love going, plus, I was promised a Broadway show and an ice cream sundae worth more than some cars. Not only that, but I would get to see the finally completed Stark Tower, and then, I get to see it lit up, as a beacon of energy to all of New York.

And another room all to myself with a skyscraper view of New York City isn't that bad either.

'_Well,' _I thought, getting out of bed and placing my feet on the floor. I walked over to my desk and crossed off another day on my calendar. Now there was only one month and eleven days until my birthday.

'_Since I'm up,' _I sighed, '_I might as well pack' _I decided as I began to shove my pre-determined outfit choices into my bag.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Dani POV-

At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because the next morning (if you can actually call it that) Pepper came into my room and woke me up at 6:00.

"Come on, Dani," she gently shoved me after I had groaned and rolled over, "We leave in an hour."

Finally, she sighed, leaving me alone.

I groaned again, sitting up. I pulled on the sweat pants and, ironically, the Iron Man t-shirt that I had set out the night before. Daughter of a billionaire or not, I was not getting dressed up to go to the airport.

I opened up my bedroom door and followed behind Ghost who was yipping happily down the hall. Tony was already out there, on the couch, drinking his coffee with tired eyes. He looked up and gave me a nod, which I returned, taking a packet of s'mores poptarts out of the pantry.

"Where's Pepper?" I asked him.

"Packing my stuff," he said with a slight smirk. I should have guessed.

Thanks to Pepper, we were ready to go at seven o'clock. I clipped Ghost's neon green leash to his red collar and slung my duffel bag over my shoulder, as we headed out to the limo.

I inhaled the scent of Cinnabon and Starbucks as we entered the airport, and with one puppy-dog look at Tony, I got both. Ghost whimpered in the rolling crate that we had to put him in, for the time being, at least. Once we got on the plane, he would be free to move.

It had taken quite a bit of begging to get Ghost to be allowed to come with us, but eventually, Tony and Pepper caved in and let me bring him along provided that he doesn't "shit in the plane." I put my finger (okay maybe a little of my hand too) through the bars of the kennel and gently stroked Ghost's black nose, effectively calming him down.

Another great thing about being the daughter of a billionaire? Private plane means that we don't have to wait through airport security (anyone working on the plane however, has to have massive background checks and security scans). So after rolling my eyes at the amazed stares of exhausted Malibu tourists, who had, no doubt, been waiting in airport lines for hours, we were able to glide right past them and out the back door that lead to the Stark Industries plane already prepped and ready to go on the tarmac.

I pulled my much smaller bag of necessities: laptop, iPhone, earbuds, books, and snacks, out of my oversized duffel before handing it off to be stowed beneath the plane. I opened the small metal door to Ghost's crate, letting him out. One of the airport workers almost looked like he was about to protest but Tony held up a hand to silence him, allowing me to lead Ghost up the stairs to the plane and into the luxurious cabin.

I took the best spot, the back corner of the leather couch that stretched along one side of the aircraft, closest to the kitchen and the bathroom. I kicked off my tennis shoes and Ghost took his cue and immediately settled at my feet, keeping them warm. I pulled out my book, because it's not like I could use anything electronic until we were at least 10,000 feet up, anyway (billionaire or not, some restrictions are unavoidable).

Tony and Pepper boarded the plane next. Pepper smiled, rolling her eyes when she saw how cozy Ghost and I already were. She took one of the cushioned, leather captain's chairs and pulled out some files that she began to shift through.

'_I swear,' _I rolled my eyes; '_She needs to lighten up.' _

"Come on Pepper," Tony interjected, plucking the file of papers from her grasp, "You need to lighten up. We're on vacation."

"No, _you_ and _Dani _are on vacation, I still have a lot of work to do before Stark Towers is ready to be set up as an energy source," she told him, attempting to grab the papers back. Tony held up a finger, and hoisted the papers higher with his other hand.

"No can do, you need to relax. And besides, knowing you, you probably already have everything set up and ready, and you're just double checking," he pointed out.

Pepper didn't try to object to this, she simply glared at him. Finally sighing she turned towards her chair again.

"That's what I thought," Tony smirked, stuffing the papers into his bag.

The flight was non-stop, and, from my perspective, seemingly endless. I think I could have flown myself there much faster than the Stark Industries jet (although Tony, annoyingly, assures me that even my highest speed would not match that of the plane…that and I cannot hold my highest speed for extended periods of time). On the bright side, I was relatively productive during the trip, and I was able to completely design the model for my new room (and beg for a little shopping trip to be able to decorate it) on the CAD program on my laptop.

Finally, we touched down at the JFK international airport, where a limo was already waiting to take us to the Stark Tower.

I love New York. I mean, I love California too, but there really is no city like New York City. I smiled to myself, craning my neck up to view the tall skyscrapers surrounding the city streets we were driving on.

I was even more amazed when one of those skyscrapers was suddenly Stark Tower. It was astounding. The last time I had been in New York, this space was only a construction site and an idea, and while I had, of course, seen the digital representation, to see the final product was incredible…and so, well, Tony, not that I had expected anything less.

In a collection of rectangles, Stark tower rose higher in a sleek, curved design, with, The "Stark" name evidently unmistakable on the top.

"So," Tony asked, gesturing to the tower, "What do you think?"

"It looks amazing!" I beamed and Ghost barked in agreement.

"You should see it from the top," he grinned, "Come on, I'll show you around."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Dani POV-

Yeah, let's just say that the view from the outside is only slightly less impressive than the view from the inside.

Every room had stunning views of New York, including the Chrysler Building, which stood (smaller than Stark Towers) but only a block away, so that you could see the details of the building from our windows.

There is a pool, of course, inside, because between the 360 degree observation room and the "Iron Man Runway" as I choose to call it (it's really just a walkway that allows Tony to either assemble or disassemble the Iron Man suit quickly) on the roof, and the total of 16 square feet of grass in front of the tower (strictly for Ghost to have a place to go to the bathroom), there was nowhere else we could have possibly put the pool.

Tony's lab is basically just like the one in California, except more high tech, which is hard to do. The building has about seven bedrooms that take up entire floors where the building narrows (all of which have spectacular views, by the way, oh, and mine is second from the top, just below Tony and Pepper's shared room). I guess you could say it's weird that Tony and Pepper are essentially my parents, but they're not married, and they're technically not even dating (Tony doesn't like labels) but they still sleep in the same bed as they have been for about two and a half years, but, we've all kind of gotten used to it (p.s. don't ask me what they're _doing, _like I said, they're essentially my parents and I soo do not want to think about that).

The tower also has several conference rooms and offices on the lower levels so that Pepper and Tony do not even have to leave "home" to go to work.

My room is now a blank slate. The walls are white, with a wall sized window across one side, giving me full view of the city below, and even the Statue of Liberty in the distance. The only furniture that is actually in it right now is a queen size bed with white bedding. Much too sterile for me, something needs to be done.

When we had finished the tour, we worked our way back down to the main living room, where Pepper was waiting for us.

"So what do you think?" she asked.

"It's amazing!" I exclaimed, flopping down on the couch.

"Glad you like it," she smiled, "I got us all tickets to a Broadway show for tonight, and Rhodes wanted to meet up with us for dinner."

"Rhodey's in town?" Tony asked.

"Apparently it's just for tonight. He told me he leaves for DC tomorrow morning," Pepper replied, "But he wanted to give Dani an early birthday present."

I grinned. Rhodey is basically Tony's best friend. He works for the military and he comes by whenever he's in California, so I've met him a few times. He is also one of the few people (that I know of) who know that Tony is Iron Man (the others being, obviously, Pepper and myself, Issa, Zeke, Scarlett, Danny, Sam, and Tucker) [A/N: I just wanted to clear that up, I know I'm going by the movies but I wanted to make it so only a few people know Tony's secret…it just makes a more interesting plot line]. He was really interested in how I had "changed Tony" the first time we met, and he's been suspicious of exactly how I did this, ever since. But, even while he has his suspicions, I don't think that he'll ever figure out that I am the half ghost clone of Danny Phantom, and Tony helped us to take down my evil "father" Vlad, nearly four years ago.

"Great, what time are we meeting him," Tony asked.

"Six," she said. Tony and I nodded.

"Which means," I grinned, "We have some time to go shopping before dinner."

Tony groaned dramatically and looked at Pepper who merely rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"Okay," Tony sighed, "Let's go."

I grinned again and followed them into the elevator, leaving Ghost, who had already found a comfortable spot on the tile to lay with his paws up, in the kitchen.

We went to about six different furniture stores and bought, everything I wanted, immediately sending it over to Stark Tower, where Tony and Pepper had people ready to begin painting and setting up the furniture so that it would be ready by the time we got home from the show. Yet another perk of being the daughter of a billionaire.

We arrived at dinner, notoriously late, at 6:30.

"Hey, you're on time!" Rhodey greeted us happily. Tony and I looked at him incredulously.

"That's because I told them that we were meeting you here at six," Pepper smirked, greeting Rhodey, who laughed at her trick.

"Nice to see you again, Dani," Rhodey greeted me, giving me an awkward one-armed hug.

"Hey, Rhodey," I smiled, sitting between Pepper and Tony at the table.

"Now, I know, it's early, but because I probably won't be seeing you between now and your birthday, I wanted to give you your gift," he told me as he pulled a 4 by 5 inch box out of his jacket pocket. It was wrapped in metallic silver paper, and had a light blue ribbon directly on the top.

I carefully pulled off the ribbon, laying it to the side, and slipped my finger under the wrapping paper seam on the sides, before pulling out the black box on the inside. I lifted the lid of the box to reveal a pretty silver necklace. The necklace had several words in a language that I couldn't read inlaid with tiny blue gems.

"I usually don't have much time for shopping when I'm overseas, but I was in this little merchant's market and found a place that translates whatever you want into Arabic and makes it into jewelry. That says your name," he informed me.

"It's beautiful," I said stroking the smooth silver, and pulling it out of the box, and unclasping the silver ring, "Thank you," I smiled at Rhodey, as Pepper helped me put the necklace around my neck.

"I'm glad you like it, Happy Birthday," he took a sip of his drink, "I really didn't have much else to get you, you have everything."

I blushed. He was right, it's hard _not _to have everything when Tony Stark is your dad, but that just made this, one-of-a-kind, custom gift, all the more special.

"So are Tony and Pepper getting you a car?" he asked nonchalantly, taking another sip of his drink.

I glanced at Tony and Pepper. Tony was smirking and Pepper was giving Rhodey a glare that clearly said "why did you bring that up."

"I _hope _so," I said with probably a little too much emphasis. Pepper gave me a warning look.

"What kind do you want?" he asked and I smirked, looking back at Pepper.

"A white Pagani Zonda C12 S 7.3," I grinned and Pepper let out a frustrated sigh.

"Wow, that's a nice car," Rhodey replied, seeming a little surprised.

"Don't encourage her," Pepper muttered, causing Tony to laugh.

The rest of the dinner went well, with most of the conversation being carried by Tony and Rhodey, who only occasionally directed the conversation to me to ask the standard "How is school going?" and "Are you in any extracurricular activities?" questions.

After dinner, we said goodbye to Rhodey and headed to the Broadway theatre. At this point, Pepper still wasn't telling Tony or me what we were seeing.

When we got to the theatre, Pepper led us to our seats (excellent seats by the way), and we waited for the show to start. When the curtains opened and the opening music came on, I smiled to myself, instantly knowing what play it was: Annie. I had seen both versions of the movies about a hundred times. They were two of the fives movies we actually _had _while I was in a group home and they were always a favorite of everyone because it's what we always wanted for ourselves.

Then I got it. Adopted by the billionaire's assistant, check, gets a dog, check, goes to live with the billionaire, check, billionaire's assistant and the billionaire fall in love and get married (well, maybe that hasn't happened yet, but I'm working on it). The only thing I was missing was a Miss Hannigan to try to take advantage of my situation and kill me once they had gotten it…oh wait, I had that too, except it was a half-ghost psychopath who cared less about my situation and more about kidnapping and killing me.

So needless to say, I could relate.

Two and a half hours later, the play ended, and the three of us stretched, getting up to leave.

"I love Annie, nice choice Pepper," I told her.

"I figured that you could relate," she chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked and Pepper and I gave him a look.

"Really?" we asked in unison, and he still was missing the obviousness of the situation.

"An orphan who gets adopted by a billionaire. Doesn't that sound a little familiar to you?" Pepper wondered.

"Well they left out the 'genius' part to the billionaire, and I didn't see a single mention of clones, ghost powers, evil 'fathers' or Iron Man in the play," he smirked and Pepper and I rolled our eyes, "So, does that make me Oliver Warbucks?"

I chuckled but neither Pepper nor I answered his question. I shivered a little, in February, it's cold in New York. The limo pulled up and the three of us got in, to go back to Stark Tower. We pulled up and went inside, taking the elevator up to the living room where we had last been before we left.

Ghost stirred as the elevator dinged, coming over to greet us.

"Hey Sandy," Tony remarked sarcastically, sitting on the couch, "Hey Jarvis, do I have any appointments tomorrow?"

"Yes sir, one at eleven and one at noon. Also, Agent Coulson continues to request an appointment," the artificial intelligence unit replied.

This piqued my interest. Agent Coulson I had met once at one of Tony's parties. I knew, he was from a secret organization called S.H.I.E.L.D., which was actually one more group of people who knew Tony's secret (not because I have been hacking Tony's computer files and hacking government agencies, or anything), but, also, as far as I knew, Tony didn't qualify so why Coulson would suddenly want to have an appointment with him was why I was interested.

"Tell him I'm on vacation," Tony replied to Jarvis.

I yawned, looking out at the black sky over the lights of New York.

"I think the jet lag is finally setting in," I announced, "I think I'll go to bed early."

"Okay, goodnight," Tony and Pepper responded in unison as Ghost and I got into the elevator, going up to my floor.

By the way, my room looked perfect. Exactly the way I had wanted it. It still smelled of paint, but it looked amazing.

Some of the walls were still white, but other's had been pained solid aqua or lime green. The largest back wall was white and had a design of aqua, green and hot pink splotches on it. The furniture as also set up. My bed, which was now a king size with a black leather-covered head board, was placed in the corner at an angle, and matched the black nightstands, bookshelf, desk, chair, couch, and dresser that were also placed around the room. Ghost got a new bed too. It was a dog bed that was slightly elevated on a black wooden frame with three steps up to a blue dog cushion. And, although I doubted that he would be using it much (he usually sleeps in my bed) it was still cute. In the adjacent bathroom, the walls were the same lime green color, with an aqua, green and pink checkerboard pattern in the glass tile mosaic that was the focal point of the glass shower. The cabinets were white, but the countertop was a black marble color with swirls of white mixed in.

The closet was like my one at home: huge and fully automated, the one difference was that the closet doors were pink.

I beamed, flopping down on my now, fluffy, pillow-covered, multicolor bedspread. I had no intentions of actually going to bed, it's only 9:30 after all, but _I _did want to get some nighttime sightseeing done.

"Hey, Jarvis, I'm going out. Don't tell Tony and Pepper," I told him, transforming into my ghost self.

"My lips are sealed, Miss Dani," Jarvis replied as I phased through the window into the night. The city below glittered with light from headlights, taillights, and street lights. People littered the streets, walking in groups. I swooped down invisibly, close to the crowds, before flying back up, doing twists and turns in the sky.

I made a loop around Elis Island before I finally stopped to sit at the top of the Empire State Building, watching the city below.

"Your jet lag must be terrible," I heard a familiar, smug voice behind me. I shook my head. I should have guessed. I turned around to see Tony striding toward me in the Iron Man suit, his mask up, with a bright smirk plastered on his face.

This Iron Man suit was the classic hot-rod red and gold, but I knew that this wasn't his classic suit. This one had all the abilities of the classic suit, but it had been "ghost upgraded" with a built-in Spector Defector, ghost detector, ecto blasts, and Fenton Phones connected to Jarvis. I know that, because I helped him build it.

"Did Jarvis tell you?" I accused.

"No, but when have you _ever_ gone to bed before ten?" he arched an eyebrow.

"How did you even know I was here?" I questioned.

"Because, I know you," he said sitting next to me, "And I knew that you would go to the tallest point in New York."

That was true. But I knew it was also true of him. We sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the small cars and people below.

"Ready to go back?" Tony asked, finally.

I sighed, "Yeah, I guess." We stood up and jumped off of the building, flying about twenty feet over the city.

'_Wow, people in New York are really unobservant_,' I thought, realizing that anyone could simply look up and see us, but nobody did.

Tony and I flew over an alleyway between two busy streets. It seemed empty, like there was nothing to be concerned about, but I froze mid-flight, when my eyes caught a movement in the shadows. Tony, who was only a little ahead of me, stopped too, silently moving towards me. He said nothing, but studied the alley with me. By now, he knew that my senses are a lot sharper than a human's and he knew that if I felt that something was wrong, it generally was.

Suddenly three darker, larger shapes, descended upon one smaller shape. I knew what was going on, and that meant that someone was about to get mugged or raped or both. Tony and I shared a look, automatically knowing that we had to do something. We floated down, landing on opposite sides of the alleyway.

I was the first one to confront the group, which, as my eyes adjusted, I could see was three men dressed in black, surrounding a petite blonde woman who was obviously terrified. The three men had their backs to me and hadn't noticed me yet, but the woman did (I'm not surprised; it's hard to miss me. I glow.) her eyes widened in response.

"Wow, three against one. That seems fair," I remarked, crossing my arms. The three men whipped around and seemed surprised to see a nearly-sixteen year old girl standing there. They're so stupid; they probably didn't even notice the glowing skin and eyes, the white hair, or the jumpsuit.

"Well, look what we have here," the largest one, the leader, sneered.

"Yeah, two for one tonight, boys," another laughed. I smirked, yes; they were definitely as dumb as they looked.

"Yeah, good luck with that," I challenged. They accepted my challenge, all three charging at me at once. The woman took the opportunity and ran in the opposite direction. As the men charged I turned intangible and they all passed through me. Then while they were confused I turned invisible.

"Hey, where'd the little brat go?" one asked.

"Right here, stupid," I announced landing a kick in his jaw. The other two watched him fall.

"Hey who said that?! What's going on?" they wondered. Then I floated to the other end of the alley where Tony was standing. He stepped out from behind the corner and I became visible, standing directly beside him, arms folded, smirking in the man's direction.

"I suggest you leave now," Tony said. At this two of the men flipped out, running away screaming. But the leader, obviously the stupidest of the bunch stayed behind.

"I can take you. Come and fight me like a man," he boasted, but I didn't miss the tinge of fear that laced his voice.

I heard Tony scoff in amusement. Then he blasted the brick directly next to where the man was standing.

The man lowered his fists, his eyes widening.

"I said, you should leave," Tony repeated.

This time, the man didn't hesitate, he turned and ran.

"And don't let us catch you here again!" I called after him.

I turned back to Tony grinning. The two of us exchanged a high five.

"Okay, now, we can go home," I said, and the two of us flew back to Stark Tower.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Dani POV-

On the way home, I finally got my ice cream. Serendipity holds the record for the most expensive ice cream on the planet; it actually has edible gold in it! Anyway, a $25,000 dessert isn't something that _most _people splurge on, but, I'm the daughter of Tony Stark, so…yeah.

Although, I'm sure, Iron Man and me in my ghost form walking into the ice cream parlor and ordering the record-breaking dessert must have been a sight. The girl at the counter certainly was surprised.

It even comes with diamonds and an 18 K gold bracelet! Seriously, where else but New York does this happen!

It even tasted expensive. One of the best things I have ever tasted. And, of course, Tony took my golden, yes; it comes with a golden diamond-encrusted spoon, and took half of my sundae, but I didn't mind, he bought it.

When we got home, let's just say Pepper hadn't been surprised that we had been out. She wasn't exactly amused, but she wasn't surprised.

She shook her head with a smile.

"Some of that better be for me," she smirked. With a laugh I handed over the small portion left in the bottom of the cup.

I yawned, actually tired now.

"Alright I'm going to bed," I announced.

"Are you actually going to bed this time?" Tony arched an eyebrow sitting on the couch.

"Yeeessss," I drawled sarcastically, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight!" they replied in unison. Ghost yipped, immediately at my heels, and following me upstairs to bed.

….

Tony POV-

The next night, we were finally ready to light up Stark Towers. Which meant that I had to be underwater, welding the final pieces.

Dani, is technically supposed to be asleep, but, I doubted she actually was. She wasn't in the tower either. I suspected that she was floating around New York City, looking for the best view when I finally lit it up.

"You're good on this end. The rest is up to you," I told Pepper as I finished the last part of the connections.

"You disconnected the transition lines? Are we off the grid?" Pepper wondered, always checking to make sure I haven't missed anything, which I never do, but that doesn't mean she's going to stop checking. I suppose I'll appreciate that if I ever get old and senile. Of course, having to deal with me and Dani all the time, Pepper will probably lose her mind before me.

"Stark Towers is about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy," I grinned.

"Wow, so maybe our reactor takes over and it actually works?" Pepper remarked.

"I assume. Light her up," I told her, flying out of the water to look at my work. Stark Tower lit up, blazing with bright, white, light, and visible to all New York. I'm sure, some of our neighbors in the skyscrapers and apartments around the tower probably didn't appreciate the glow, and I'm sure there will be some complaints and maybe even a lawsuit or two, but I'll let Pepper handle that.

"How does it look?" Pepper asked me.

"Like Christmas, but with more...me," I told her. Before Danielle came along, I hadn't _really _celebrated Christmas since I was young. And even then, my parents didn't always make it the most enjoyable experience. And then, after they died, our traditions died with them. Sure, Pepper and I would exchange gifts occasionally; well, _she_ would give me a gift. I usually would just give her a bonus and let her buy something for herself. But once Danielle came along that was different. Dani had never had a _real _Christmas before, I mean, she obviously wouldn't have gotten a Christmas living with Vlad the fruitloop, and while she was at the adoption center, they didn't really have too many extra funds for gifts or trees or celebrations, so she didn't get to know Christmas.

Her first Christmas with us, Pepper and I aspired to make it a holiday she would never forget, and it was great, just seeing her get so awestruck at the wonder of it all.

"Gotta go wider on the public awareness campaign. You need to do some press. I can do some more tomorrow, I'm working on the zoning for the next billboards," Pepper said, snapping me out of the memory of Dani waking up and rushing into the living room on Christmas morning.

I sighed internally. Pepper is always working.

"Pepper, you're killing me. Remember? Enjoy the moment," I told her. I touched down on my so-called "Iron Man Runway," allowing it to take off the Iron Man suit.

"Sir, Agent Coulson of SHIELD is on the line," Jarvis interjected. Again? Man these SHIELD guys won't let up.

"I'm not in. I'm actually out," I replied to my artificial intelligence system.

"Sir, I'm afraid he's insisting," Jarvis pressed.

"Close the line Jarvis. I got a date," I affirmed, ending the conversation. I hope Dani won't be home for at least an hour, so, for the time bring, I'll be able to spend some 'date-time' with Pepper.

"Levels are holding steady...I think," Pepper read me the readings.

"Of course they are, I was directly involved. Which brings me to my next question. How does it feel to be a genius?" I grinned coming up next to her.

"Well, ha, I really wouldn't know now, would I?" Pepper chuckled, always modest. I mean, sure, she's not me, but she certainly keeps Stark Industries, Danielle, and, to a point, me, alive and running.

"What do you mean? All this, came from you," I gestured to the tower around us.

"No. All this, came from that," she poked the arc reactor in my chest. That was true, if I hadn't miniaturized the arc reactor and put in in my chest, I wouldn't have become Iron Man, my weapons would have continued to be sold overseas, I wouldn't have been able to help Dani defeat Vlad, and Stark Towers would not be shining in all its glory right now. But Pepper was involved too.

"Give yourself some credit, please. Stark Tower is your baby. Give yourself... twelve percent of the credit," I granted her. Well, technically, Dani, is her baby, but she doesn't think of it the same way since Dani is technically sixteen.

"Twelve percent?" she repeated, an edge of 'are-you-kidding-me' to her voice. First I give her the credit and she gives it back to me, and now when I try to compromise she acts offended? Honestly, I can never win.

"An argument can be made for fifteen," I amended.

"Twelve percent for my baby?" she asked again.

"Well, I did do all the heavy lifting. Literally, I lifted the heavy things. And sorry, but the security snafu? That was on you," I justified.

"Oooooh!" Pepper replied sarcastically.

"My private elevator," I explained.

"You mean our elevator?" she arched an eyebrow. Oh, so now she wants to share credit?

"It was teeming with sweaty workmen. I'm going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later on, aren't I?" I guessed, seeing that she was now thoroughly annoyed.

"Not gonna be that subtle," she told me.

"I'll tell you what. Next building is gonna say 'Potts' on the tower," I tried to appease her, not really meaning it, but she knows that anyway.

"On the lease," she predicted. That was probably much more accurate.

"Call your mom, can you bunk over?" I grinned seductively.

We didn't get too far into our celebration before SHIELD decided to interrupt, again!

"Sir, the telephone. I'm afraid my protocols are being overwritten," Jarvis told me. They're overriding my protocols now? Seriously? Can I not get any time with Pepper? Coulson's voice came over my phone.

"Stark, we need to talk," Coulson told me.

"You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message," I replied, into the phone hoping to end the conversation, again!

"This is urgent," Coulson told me in the same monotonous 'I'm-an-agent' voice.

"Then leave it urgently," I tried to hang up, but my elevator, again, _my private elevator, _opened, and Coulson entered my living room. Okay, all hope for a moment with Pepper out the window.

"Security breach!" I exclaimed, looking at Pepper accusingly, "That's on you."

"Actually, that one's on Dani," Pepper told me, "She ordered the Chinese food."

"Did someone say my name," Dani walked into the room, taking everything in. She leaned next to Pepper, "Hi Agent Coulson."

He barely regarded her, probably because he wasn't briefed about what to say, and addressed me instead.

"Mr. Stark," Coulson greeted me.

"Phil! Come in," Pepper told him, okay, is it just me or is she a little too friendly with him? And seriously, Phil?

"Phil?" I questioned, she ignored me, however, Dani chuckled a little.

"I can't stay," Coulson said. Good.

"Uh...his first name is Agent," I added, again, ignored. I'm not ignored very often, and I must say, I don't quite like the feeling.

"Come on in, we're celebrating," Pepper told him.

"Which is why he can't stay," I insisted.

"We need you to look this over," Coulson tried to hand me a file. Doesn't he know I don't like being handed things? Dani made a subtle grab for the folder, but Coulson, noticing her inching fingers, moved the folder farther away, "Soon as possible."

"I don't like being handed things," I told him and Dani giggled a little.

"That's alright, cause I love to be handed things. So, let's trade," Pepper suggested, handing him her champagne and taking the folder before taking her champagne back and giving me the folder. In that exchange, Dani tried to grab for the folder again but Pepper had already anticipated her move, and whipped the folder away from Dani's curious grasp.

"Thank you," Pepper said.

"Official consulting hours are between eight and five every other Thursday," I reminded Coulson.

"This isn't a consultation," he stated simply.

"Is this about The Avengers?" Pepper asked and Dani elbowed her slightly, "Which I...I know nothing about," Pepper corrected her misstep.

"The Avengers Initiative was scrapped, I thought. And I didn't even qualify," I said.

"I didn't know that either," Pepper added and Dani giggled.

"Yeah, apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, don't play well with others," I stated.

"That I did know," Pepper agreed, and this time, instead of a giggle, Dani burst out laughing.

"That is the most accurate thing I have heard all month," she said between laughs.

"This isn't about personality profiles anymore," Coulson pretended to ignore her.

"Whatever. Miss Potts, got a minute?" I pulled Pepper off to the side. I noticed that Dani had started a inquisition to Coulson, but I could no longer here what she was saying. Although, Coulson seemed like he was trying really hard to hide his annoyance. I couldn't be more proud of my daughter, "You know, I thought we were having a moment."

"I was having twelve percent of a moment," and there's the not-so-subtle comment, "This seems serious, Phil's pretty shaken."

"How did you notice? Why is he Phil?" I wondered. Again, she ignored my questions.

"What is all this?" she asked referring to the file.

"This is uh..." I flicked the Avengers profiles onto the screens because I may have already hacked the SHIELD security system and files.

"Dani and I are going to take the jet to D.C. tonight," Pepper told me

"Tomorrow," I told her suggestively.

"You have homework. You have a lot of homework," again, focusing on work.

"Well, what if I didn't?" I grinned.

"If you didn't?" she began to play along.

"Yeah," I smirked.

"You mean if you finished?" she wondered and I nodded in response.

"Well, um...then," she whispered quietly in my ear. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Coulson looking extremely embarrassed and Dani wrinkled her nose.

"Eww," she sneered, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Square deal," I said, "It's the last date."

Pepper kissed me, "Work hard."

"Well, then," Coulson mumbled, "I…guess I'll leave you then," but I really wasn't paying attention anymore.

"Do I really have to go to DC?" Dani asked, breaking the moment.

"Yes," Pepper answered simply, not breaking eye contact with me, "Go pack."

Dani sighed, walking towards the elevator, "Come on Ghost," she told her dog, "It's about to get nasty down here. And, if you guys don't mind, I'll be eating in my room for breakfast tomorrow."

We ignored her.

And then the elevator door closed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Dani POV-

That is so gross.

Now, I am far from naïve of what adults do behind closed doors, I mean, I had spent plenty of time on the streets before being inducted into the foster-care system. Because of this, I have seen my fair share of prostitutes on the streets.

Even still, I soo did not even want to think about what Tony and Pepper were doing downstairs.

I mean, they're my _parents_ (albeit, my, adoptive parents) butit's weird.

Instead, I pulled out my laptop and sat cross-legged on my bed with Ghost already curled up on the other side. Dozing lightly. I wanted to join him, but I was not tired at all.

I chuckled a little as his furry tail flicked a little in his sleep. I ran his tail through my fingers, pulling it away from him a little, only to have him snap it back against his body as if it was spring-loaded. I chuckled again, lightly patting his head.

Now, normally, I would be on Facebook or Tumblr, but I really was not in the mood for any social networking at the moment. So, instead, I opened up a file of music, setting it on shuffle, while I played a game of solitaire.

"Miss Dani," Jarvis interrupted, "You are receiving a video-conference message." Jarvis's voice startled Ghost out of his sleep, only to have him grunt and roll over, paws in the air.

"Okay," I agreed, figuring it would be Issa or maybe even Danny. But, honestly out of the two of them, Issa was much more likely to be contacting me. It's amazing she has even been able to function without me. She has been texting me practically non-stop, except when she stops to either call or Skype me.

The music instantly shut off and my solitaire game became covered up by a pop-up video screen.

I was surprised when Issa's platinum blonde, hyper-active face did not appear on my screen in order to tell me about her latest drama at school.

Instead, it was an African American man with an eye-patch.

I recognized him as Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD, although I had technically never met him (the only time I had ever actually seen him was when I was spying on Tony once). He had never contacted me before, but I suspected that he might have, at least, suspected something about me.

"Danielle," he addressed me simply.

"Umm…yeah? And it's Dani," I replied, not knowing quite what to say (I mean, technically, I'm not even supposed to know who he is. Although, again, I'm not sure he would have bought it), "Who are you?" I tried to feign ignorance.

Yep, the look on his face meant that he was totally not buying it, although, he answered me anyway.

"I'm Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD," he told me.

"Okie dokie. But shouldn't you be contacting my dad?" I wondered. Curious as to why they would, in fact, be contacting me. It would make sense that they might be using me to get a message to my dad if they had not already knocked down all the security protocols once tonight.

"No. I have my reasons for contacting you," he told me.

"Oh? That so?" I challenged, arching an eyebrow in his direction, probably sounding and acting more like Tony than I had intended. By this time, Ghost had become interested and tried to lean over my laptop to see what was going on. I gently shooed him away and with another grunt, he laid back down.

"Rumor has it, that you are in the market for a job," Nick Fury pitched. Well, sort of, but not really, I mean, Pepper would like me to get a job, but, I'm also only 15 and most child labor laws prohibit it. However, unless Pepper has been telling a multitude of people about the fact that I need to learn "responsibility" those words have never been uttered outside of our home.

I wonder if they have our house tapped? If that's the case, then he most definitely knows about me.

"Can't, at least not yet. Child labor laws," I retorted.

"Child labor laws do not apply to our agency," he replied.

"Okay," I nodded, intrigued, "So are you offering me an position at SHIELD, Director Fury? Are we talking secretary or agent?"

He chuckled, "Something like that."

That does not answer my question. I pursed my lips; this was beginning to get annoying.

"So what exactly are you proposing?" I questioned, suddenly suspicious of the motives of the mysterious director.

"Just a trial period. Perhaps, a chance for you to be a part of a team," he added vaguely.

"I'm assuming you haven't cleared this with Pepper or Tony," I guessed. If, in fact, he was offering me an agent position, Tony, I knew, would be okay with it. Pepper…not so much.

Honesty, it's ridiculous. I mean, she knows exactly how capable I am of handling myself, and yet, she still treats me like a child.

I mean, yeah, technically, I am only four years old. But physically, I'm sixteen and mentally, I'm at least twenty-six.

He chuckled, "I believe you are more than capable of handling this, without Pepper's agreement." Ah, so he knows that she will be the problem in this scenario.

I huffed in irritation, I wish he would give me a straight answer to whatever he's driving at.

"And, what exactly am I handling?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Danielle Phantom," he addressed me finally.

Well, no doubt about it now, he knows.

At the expression on my face he said, "That's right. We at SHIELD know all about you, your 'cousin' or should I say, clone, and Vlad Masters," I unintentionally cringed at the name of my least favorite psychopath.

"You see, Danielle," he continued, "This is precisely why we are offering you this position. What I am trying to say is, Danielle, I have an assignment for you."


End file.
